NEW DELHI: Punjab Police have registered two FIRs under non-bailable sections against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak in separate districts of the state, days after he switched from the Aam Aadmi Party to the BJP as part of a group of MPs merging with the ruling camp in the Upper House.The timing of the FIRs has triggered a political row, with the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal alleging “political vendetta”. Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma accused the AAP government of misusing the police to target opponents.
In a post on X, Sharma said, “There is no law in Punjab; now, political vendetta is in effect. Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal’s fear exposed. The fact that a non-bailable FIR was registered against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak ji in Punjab as soon as he left AAP and joined BJP clearly shows that Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are using the police as a political weapon.”He added, “This is not just one case–this is the politics of fear, panic and vendetta. Police were used to silence opposing voices earlier, too–the same is being repeated today. Non-bailable clauses, threats of immediate action are a shameful act of implementing a political agenda under the guise of law.”Meanwhile, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said “…Today, the Punjab Police attempted to conduct a raid at the residence of Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak. We wish to pose this question to Punjab: a state where the law and order situation is so abysmal… yet, instead of bringing this under control, the Punjab Police today chose to raid Pathak’s residence in this manner. My question is directed at Kejriwal, the self-proclaimed standard-bearer of this ‘new politics’... the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly levelled a grave allegation just yesterday against CM Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of being under the influence of alcohol…”Sharma further alleged that chief minister Bhagwant Mann was turning the state into a “police state”, stating, “Bhagwant Mann’s government is slowly transforming Punjab into a ‘police state’–where dissent = case and truth = punishment. BJP Punjab will not tolerate this bullying and dictatorship. Those who build weapons against opponents of the law will be fought legally and democratically. We will not be afraid; we will not bow down.“
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Echoing similar concerns, Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia accused the AAP of selectively targeting former allies. “Hero to Zero…Selective targeting of those who fall out with the Aam Aadmi Party. Sandeep Pathak was once a trusted aide of Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal, a key power centre. If he was wrong, then he was following his bosses, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. Then, who was in collusion with him, and why are they not being booked now? After shifting loyalties, FIRs under non-bailable sections point to possible vendetta politics. From influence to investigation, the shift raises serious questions,” Majithia wrote on X.
